Faux Canvas Pictures

Picture from Raymond Designs

Have you been to Costco here in Utah and seen the big displays of temple and landscape pictures? I like them, but even at Costco prices they are a bit pricey. I visited my aunt in Idaho and she had one on her wall, but they had done them at a craft night, where someone from Utah came with all the supplies, but wouldn't tell them what the liquid was that they used on the project. Hmmm, I did some searching and it appears that the secret is....Mod Podge.

I found a really great tutorial here at Shot by Megs--and if you are going big or really custom, it is the way to go! If you are a bit more lazy (busy), here's a few short cuts that I came up with.

Get a picture that you want to texturize (I spent some time playing in Photoshop elements with one that I had to give it that "antique" look, but I think any type of pic would be fun...black and white, cute pics of kids, whatever). I had it printed at Coscto in 8x10 since this was an experiment (in Luster finish)--now that I've tried it, I'll be looking for the right frame at the DI for a larger picture.

Find a frame (I had a thrift store one that I sprayed black).

You will need a backer-board for the photo. You could use hardboard that you get cut at Home Depot, but if your frame had that "pressboard" insert, you could use that OR do what I did, use the glass from the frame! Brilliant huh? You don't need the glass to go over the top of the finished picture, so why not use it?

Use spray adhesive on the insert or glass, then smooth the picture on (I happen to have a J-roller for installing countertop or floor, but it worked great for this too).

Pour some Mod Podge on top of the picture and roll it out with a paint roller. Careful not to leave "edges" or lines as you roll. Let it dry and put on another coat. This gives the subtle pebbled texture that makes the picture look like more than just a photo (the texture is REALLY hard to photograph).

Now you can pop it back into the frame! I guess I need to scuff up the frame a bit to help it match the "antique-y" photo.